Online Shopping Safety Strategies

Learn how you can stay safe while shopping online

If you are planning on doing your holiday shopping online this year, then it’s important that you take the necessary precautions.  Here are some of the strategies you should employ to stay safe while shopping online.

Don’t Give Out Personal Information

If a site prompts you for personal information unrelated to your purchase, then this should raise a red flag.  For instance, any site that asks you for information such as your social security number or date of birth is not legitimate and you should leave the page immediately.  The only information a retailer should ever ask for is your billing, shipping and payment information and, on occasion, your email address and phone number.

Stay on Well-Known Sites

Now is not the time to check out a new online vendor or buy from a company you’ve never heard of before.  Instead, you should stick to retailers that you know or have used in the past.  Making sure that you stay on trusted sites will help you avoid falling into a trap set by a cyber criminal.

Protect Your Computer

Another way to protect yourself and stay one step ahead of criminals is by installing anti-virus software on your computer.  Not only will good anti-virus software protect you from any pop-ops or emails that contain dangerous viruses or malware, but it will also alert you when you are on a site that is not secure or is compromised in some way.

Shop Smart

Finally, to avoid putting your credit or debit card information everywhere, you should consider doing your online shopping with gift cards or pre-paid credit cards.  Using these types of cards will ensure that your financial information does not fall into the wrong hands in case your accounts have somehow been compromised.

Try out these strategies to help you stay safe while shopping online.  We at PMC Insurance Group are experts in small business insurance and can help you put the proper policies in place.  Contact us today to learn more about getting competitive coverage for your small business clients.

By PMC Insurance Group

Since 1996, PMC Insurance Group has worked to help independent agents grow their client base by offering workers' compensation solutions for a wide array of businesses. As one of the most distinguished workers' compensation wholesalers in the country, we have the tools and resources to help you create coverage programs for both small businesses and large accounts.